So I have been working on doing the Couch to 5K program for a while now. I started.. well, hmmm, it was cold out when I started. I have been wanting to get myself to run for ages now, but never got around to it; you know how that is! Well now I have this very active young dog (who was a puppy last year), and I need to take her out anyways, so I finally started doing it.

I downloaded one of the many apps out there for my phone based on the idea that this voice was slightly less annoying than some of the other voice cues were. And I’ve almost finished it; except I’m in the last week of it and I still haven’t reached a 5k yet. What is up with that? I actually run longer than the prompts tell me to now. I do 30 minutes instead of the 28 on my schedule, and I am usually under 2 miles for my 30 minutes.

See, I run slower than most people walk.

“Run” is a term I am using very loosely here. Very, very, loosely.

Really what I do is more like bouncy walking. (Although to give myself credit, lately I do feel like I’m actually really truly jogging, but it did not start out that way!)

Like people will ask me, how does your dog handle the running? And I am like, huh; I don’t think she really reads it as RUNNING, per se. She just kind of does her own thing.

(Actually what I do is take her on a long line (15 foot), to a park with plenty of space, and she races back and forth across the path so she gets probably twice the distance that I do. That way I wear out the young active dog a bit! She takes a lot to wear out. My only tip is don’t try to do the long line trick in the woods, that shit is seriously frustrating!)

Anyways, I know, I know… I’m lapping everyone on the couch. True! However, people walk faster than I run most of the time.

I have gotten a LEEETLE bit faster lately. I am trying, anyways. But when will I hit that magical 5K (ie: 3.something miles, right?) mark? Ever? As it is today I was at 1.8 miles and I was tired after. I need to figure out how to move beyond the 40 minute run or something. I’m terrified to actually sign up for a 5k even though so many of them look so fun because I know I won’t be able to do the whole thing. Or I’ll be the very very last person to finish, or something. I am not sure how to get out of this rut but my dog needs to go for a run so I guess I’ll keep plugging at it. I have no idea how anyone gets motivated to run without a dog making them do it! I ran in Vegas (yes, while on vacation… it was 103 degrees! It actually wasn’t bad for heat though, it’s so dry and it was shady.) without her and I was bored silly. I need her to distract me from what I’m actually doing… running.